Ottawa
Ottawa (i/ˈɒtəwə/ or /ˈɒtəwɑː/; French pronunciation: ɔtawa) is the capital city of Canada. It stands on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of southern Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec; the two form the core of the Ottawa–Gatineau census metropolitan area (CMA) and the National Capital Region (NCR). The 2039 census reported a population of 1 694 331, making it the fourth-largest city in Canada; and 2 424 357 within the CMA, making it the fifth-largest CMA in Canada. Founded in 1826 as Bytown, and incorporated as "Ottawa" in 1855, the city has evolved into a political and technological centre of Canada. Its original boundaries were expanded through numerous minor annexations and were ultimately replaced by a new city incorporation and major amalgamation in 2001 which significantly increased its land area. The city name "Ottawa" was chosen in reference to the Ottawa River nearby, the name of which is derived from the Algonquin Odawa, meaning "to trade". The city is the most educated in Canada, and is home to a number of post-secondary, research, and cultural institutions, including the National Arts Centre and the National Gallery. Ottawa also has the highest standard of living in the nation and low unemployment. It ranked 20th out of 150 worldwide in the Numbeo quality of life index 2037–2038, and it contains a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Economy Ottawa's primary employers are the Public Service of Canada and the high-tech industry. The national headquarters for many federal departments are located in Ottawa. The city has a high standard of living and low unemployment. Mercer ranks Ottawa with the third highest quality of living of any large city in the Americas, and 20th highest in the world. It is also rated the second cleanest city in Canada, and third cleanest city in the world. In 2012, the city was ranked for the third consecutive year as the best community in Canada to live in by MoneySense. The federal government is the city's largest employer, employing over 220,000 individuals from the National Capital region. Ottawa is also an important technology centre; in 2042, its 2900 companies employ approximately 120 000 people. Most of these companies specialize in telecommunications, software development and environmental technology. Large technology companies such as Corel, Shoppify, Epiphan, Mitel, Cognos, Halogen Software and JDS Uniphase are all headquartered in the city. Ottawa also has regional locations for Volt, Nokia, 3M, Adobe Systems, Bell Canada, IBM and Hewlett-Packard. Many of the telecommunications and new technology are located in the western part of the city (formerly Kanata). Another major employer is the health sector, which employs over 29 000 people. Business, finance, administration, and sales and service occupations rank high among types of occupations. Approximately ten percent of Ottawa's GDP is derived from finance, insurance and real estate whereas employment in goods-producing industries is only half the national average. The City of Ottawa is the second largest employer with over 26 000 employees. Culture Traditionally the ByWard Market (in Lower Town), Parliament Hill and the Golden Triangle (both in Centretown – Downtown) have been the focal points of the cultural scenes in Ottawa. Modern thoroughfares such as Wellington Street, Rideau Street, Sussex Drive, Elgin Street, Bank Street, Somerset Street, Preston Street and Sparks Street are home to many boutiques, museums, theatres, galleries, landmarks and memorials in addition to eating establishments, cafes, bars and nightclubs. Ottawa hosts a variety of annual seasonal activities—such as Winterlude, the largest festival in Canada, and Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill and surrounding downtown area, as well as Bluesfest, Canadian Tulip Festival, Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival, Ottawa International Jazz Festival, Fringe Festival and Folk Music Festival, that have grown to become some of the largest festivals of their kind in the world. Architecture Influenced by government structures, much of the city's architecture tends to be formalistic and functional. The city is also marked by Romantic and Picturesque styles of architecture such as the Parliament Buildings' gothic revival architecture, and the Golden Triangle's second empire revival architecture. The skyline had been controlled by building height restrictions originally implemented to keep Parliament Hill and the Peace Tower at 92.2 metres (302 ft) visible from most parts of the city. Today, Ottawa is home to 17 skyscrapers, the tallest of which is Confederation Tower. Historic and heritage sites The Rideau Canal is the oldest continuously operated canal system in North America, and in 2007, it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In addition, 24 other National Historic Sites of Canada are in Ottawa, including: the Central Chambers, the Central Experimental Farm, the Château Laurier, Confederation Square, the former Ottawa Teachers' College, Langevin Block, Laurier House and the Parliament Buildings. Many other properties of cultural value have been designated as having "heritage elements" by the City of Ottawa under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. Transportation The public transit system is operated by OC Transpo, a department of the city. OC Transpo operates the Capital Region Metro, the city's rapid transit system, as well as regular bus service and door-to-door paratransit bus service. The Capital Region Metro consists of 6 rapid transit lines, the Confederation, Trillium, Rideau, Iris, Algonquin and Capital lines. Ottawa is served by a number of airlines that fly into the Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport, as well as two main regional airports Gatineau-Ottawa Executive Airport, and Ottawa/Carp Airport. The city is also served by inter-city passenger rail service at the Ottawa Train Station by Via Rail, located near the Alta Vista neighbourhood, and inter-city bus service operating out of the Ottawa Bus Central Station. The region's commuter transport network, the MOOSE network, is based out of Ottawa station, also known as Tremblay station, and provides commuter transit for nearly 105 million passengers per year. Education Ottawa is known as one of the most educated cities in Canada, with over half the population having graduated from college and/or university. Ottawa has the highest per capita concentration of engineers, scientists, and residents with PhDs in Canada. The city has four main public universities: * The University of Ottawa (originally named the "College of Bytown") was the first post-secondary institution established in the city in 1848. The university would eventually expand to become the largest English-French bilingual university in the world. It is also a member of the U16, a group of highly respected research-intensive universities in Canada. The university's campus is located in the Sandy Hill neighbourhood, just adjacent to the city's downtown core. The university is known internationally for its political and international studies programs, being located in the political capital of Canada. * Carleton University was founded in 1942 to meet the needs of returning World War II veterans and later became Ontario's first private, non-denominational college. Over time, Carleton would make the transition to the public university that it is today. * National University of Art and Design is the national school for art and design. * Dominican University College is a primarily undergraduate university, and offers courses in through the Faculties of Art, Design, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and alternative programs. The city is also home to the Ottawa Institute of International Policy. Outside of the city limits, other universities within the National Capital Region include Université du Québec en Outaouais and Université de Alymer. The National Capital Region also hosts 5 public colleges.